Traditional hot cross buns and scams

As I was making these Eastery delights I received a call from people telling me that my computer needed attention. It was a Saturday morning and I genuinely believe that Microsoft have better things to be doing than cold-calling their customers. I politely said I was too busy to worry about it and hung up.

Loads of people have been receiving these scamming calls recently, it’s just so odd to think that people are so brazen as to call you up and try and leech information from you.

Coincidentally, I was also listening to an episode of This American Life about people in life who are “suckers.” I wondered how many people were suckered by phone scammers like the hoax Microsoft guys. These were deep thoughts for a Saturday morning!

Then, ever the distraction, Norman caught my attention. Norman, who is not supposed to sit on the lounge without human company has taken up permanent residence on our lounge as the weather cools down – humans are suckers on a daily basis, constantly being played by their animals!

I hope you’ll note that I remembered to cross these buns, unlike the last ones! Also, I hope you’re all sufficiently excited for Easter – it’s so soon!!

Hot cross buns:

Makes 12

125ml warm water

1 x 8g sachet yeast

3 tbsp sugar

3.5 cups plain flour

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp mixed spice

¼ cup mixed peel

1 cup sultanas

½ – ¾ cup cold water

Cross paste:

3 tbsp flour

½ tsp sugar

2 ½ tbsp water

Glaze:

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp water

Combine your water, yeast and sugar. Stir well, then allow to sit and froth up for ten minutes.

While the yeast rises, mix together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice – give them a good mix to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Add in the mixed peel and sultanas and stir them in well.

Add the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and combine, then add in the water in small increments until you have a cohesive dough without being sticky. Depending on the weather, your flour, the water etc, it may take only half a cup to give you the desired outcome – pour your water in slowly as it is mixing and keep an eye on it so that you don’t end up with a watery mixture.

Knead the dough with your bread hook for 5 minutes, then cover the bowl with a tea towel and set in a warm place for 40 minutes to rise. I snuggled my bowl up with Norman on the lounge.

Grease a baking tray. After 40 minutes, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface. Oil your hands lightly as well, this will stop the dough from sticking and is less messy than flour. Divide the dough into 6 portions and shape each portion into a ball. Pop your buns onto the greased baking tray so that they are just touching.

Leave them to rise for a further 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 200°C.

While the buns are rising, whip up your crosses by mixing the plain flour, sugar and water into a runny paste and scooping it into a piping bag (or a snap lock back.) When the buns have risen, snip the end off of snap lock back and pipe crosses onto your buns. Pop them straight into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. In the last five minutes of baking, turn the fan of your oven on to coerce them into browning.

While they’re in the oven, put your water and sugar in a small pan over a medium heat. Stir until all of the sugar has been dissolved and the water evaporates slightly.

When the buns are out of the oven, grab the glaze and brush it over them while they’re still hot.

Serve with butter. There is no such thing as too much butter in the realm of hot cross buns.

Ooh your hot cross buns look so fluffy and tasty! Love Easter baking!! 🙂
I tried making sourdough ones yesterday, a bit dense (don’t think my starter is as ‘active’ as it should have been) but was still good with the raisins, peels and spices!

Oh yum!! I’m yet to brave the world of sourdough – I leave it to the pros haha.I bet they were delicious anyway, people adore hot cross buns, so they’re willing to forgive anything that the baker may perceive as a weakness!

I’ve been getting those stupid calls from “Mi-cro-soft” (just how I’ve heard the jerks say it on the phone) too. Identity theft, spammers, phishing and the like just REALLY get under my skin. It’s like, “Dude, instead of spending your life taking advantage of and violating innocent people why don’t you get a real job?” smh

I LOVE hot cross buns. They’re my favourite. Love how fluffy and delicious yours look… you’ve made me realize that I really need to get started on eating some hot cross buns before the season is over! Oh, and re the butter? Completely agree. Sorry to hear about the scam calls, I’ve had a few myself and I hang up on them immediately!

You’re running out of time – quick, whip some up and eat one each day for the rest of the week! Haha.
The scammers are annoying, but I promptly hang up on an them as well – hopefully they’ll get the message soon!

I got the same call as did my friends, they are attempting to scam people all over the world. I called their bluff and they hung up on me. I am loving the hot cross recipes I am seeing, never made them but now I am getting inspired. I have given up on restrictions with the pugs their thought is “whats mine is mine and what’s yours is mine” I am truly a sucker! Norman is so cute, couldn’t restist.